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Early History of Casa Grande
The Hohokams abandoned their settlement in this area (now Casa Grande Ruins National Monument) for reasons that are still being questioned and under archeological theory.
The Spanish Conquistadors were most likely the first “outsiders” to visit the area, sometime during the mid-1500s. During this time, the Akimel O’Odham lived along the Gila River and grew such items as corn, wheat, cotton, melons, beans, squash, and tobacco. In addition, the Tohono O’Odham and the Maricopa peoples settled nearby.
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In 1848, the section of Arizona north of the Gila River was part of the land ceded to the United States by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the Mexican war of 1848. The land south of the Gila River, which includes Pinal County, was acquired in the 1853 Gadsden Purchase.
Casa Grande began as many other towns and cities across the west began: as the end of the railroad. As the Southern Pacific Railroad was being built across Arizona, construction had to stop for a variety of reasons. Each place it stopped was called Terminus until the railroad continued. Each temporary stop was either renamed as a town or abandoned.
The Southern Pacific Railroad Company obtained permission to build from the west to the Colorado River at Yuma. The Southern Pacific arrived at the river opposite Yuma on May 20, 1877— only to have to halt construction until September 29, when the bridge across the Colorado was finished.
Work was resumed November 19th, 1878. As the railroad progressed across the desert from Yuma, the heat became oppressive. By May 19th, 1879, a point was reached about where the present town of Casa Grande is now located. Work was stopped until January 24th, 1880 and that temporary stop was called "Terminus." In September 1880, executives of the Southern Pacific Railroad renamed the town after the prehistoric Hohokam Indian structure (Great House) and ruins located 20 miles to the east.
The Casa Grande Post Office was established September 10th, 1881. The City of Casa Grande was incorporated in 1915.
